Last updated on June 4th, 2023 at 03:00 pm
Wild birds are very active during the fall months, and it can be an exciting time of the year for birding, depending on where you live. What do they do in the autumn?
Wild birds migrate, eat seeds, and send off their young in the autumn. Many birds migrate from colder areas to warmer areas during the winter, leaving in the autumn. Additionally, many birds will molt in the autumn and form flocks with other birds for safety and food security purposes.
1. Migrate
Many birds are migratory, meaning that they may live in a completely different region of the country, continent, or world during different seasons of the year.
Birds travel long and short distances for better weather, starting as early as late June and wrapping up as late as December.
Some birds migrate mainly during the day, while others migrate at night.
Soaring birds like raptors and pelicans rely on thermals to create lift while they fly, which is easier to find during the day.
Therefore, these are daytime migrators.
Other birds, like warblers and sparrows, will migrate at night.
Different birds have different migrating patterns.
Some initiate one long, non-stop flight until they get to their destination, while others will take breaks to refuel.
If you want to watch the migration in the autumn, you’ll want to research local coastlines, ridges, and southerly peninsulas, as these are common meeting places for migrating birds.
Some sites, like Higbee Beach in Cape May, New Jersey, are home to hundreds of thousands of migrants in the fall, and you can watch them fly by at dawn when they head inland from the open water.
You can also predict when migrations will happen, to a degree, based on weather.
Most birds avoid flying against the wind or in the rain, and will drop out of their normal migrating paths in the case of a cold front, causing what’s known as a “fall-out.”
A fall-out is essentially a concentration of migrating birds who haven’t made it to their final destination.
2. Molt
Most wild birds molt in the fall, as well as in the spring, which is stimulated by the change in daylight hours associated with the changing seasons.
Additionally, the timing of a molt may depend on nutrition, health, and the reproductive state of the bird.
When birds molt in the fall, they’re typically left with drab, muted winter plumage that helps them blend in more.
This is opposed to the bright and colorful plumage you’ll find during the breeding season and warm months.
Every feather is eventually replaced in a molting bird, although replacing every feather can take the full year.
The process happens gradually and asymmetrically so that the bird’s flying skills aren’t disrupted by the loss of feathers.
The molting season can be stressful for birds, which is why they have an increased need for good nutrition while their feathers are regrowing.
3. Form Flocks
Some birds form flocks in the winter, even if they’re normally independent. These include:
- Tufted titmice
- Chickadees
- Nuthatches
- Woodpeckers
Together, these birds can share a bigger territory and therefore have better luck finding enough food sources for everybody.
They also can alert others in their flocks of the presence of predators, which is a major advantage.
Flocking also works during the winter because it is the off-season for breeding.
This means that birds are feeling less competitive with each other and aren’t constantly on the hunt for a mate or trying to care for the young.
Some birds, like red-winged blackbirds, might form flocks of thousands of birds.
Migrating birds also form flocks to travel together and have better chances of surviving their journeys.
See the following video of migrating starlings who chose to travel together in a flock:
4. Eat Seeds
Some birds, like the white-breasted nuthatch, eat insects for most of the year but trade them for seeds when the cold months come around.
These birds eat acorns, pine nuts, and other seeds but stick to a mostly vegetarian diet.
This change in diet is partly because insects are less readily available to eat in winter.
It’s also partly because birds don’t need as much protein when they’re not actively nesting and breeding.
Woodpeckers have an especially difficult time finding insects to eat in the wintertime, so don’t be surprised if they flock to your seed-covered suet block when the cold months arrive.
Most winter birds eat a variety of seeds and nuts, including the following:
- Black Oil Sunflower
- Nyjer/Thistle
- Safflower
- Squash
- Brazil Nuts
- Almonds
Here are some seeds available on Amazon.com:
- Alfacom Black Oil Sunflower Seeds are thin-shelled and easy for birds to crack open, and they have a high-fat content. Both of these things make these seeds desirable for many birds during the fall and winter.
- Wagner’s Nyjer Seed is a favorite food for finches like the American Goldfinch and Lesser Goldfinches, as well as Indigo Buntings, Pine Siskins, and Common Redpolls. These seeds are small and needle-like, and they’re imported to North America from overseas.
- Morning Song Safflower Seed is more difficult to break open but are popular among cardinals. Other birds that’ll eat safflower include grosbeaks, doves, sparrows, and chickadees.
5. Send Off Their Young
The breeding season in birds lasts throughout the summer, and by autumn, bird offspring are typically old enough to start living independently.
Some birds, like the barred owl, begin hooting during this season as a way of communicating to their young that they need to start finding their own territory.
Deciding when it’s time for young to leave the nest is a difficult decision typically made by both the parents and the fledgling together.
Offspring are likely to push for more time in the nest so that they have more time to develop before having to fend for themselves.
In contrast, parents prefer to decrease the length of the stressful breeding season as soon as their young seem capable of independence.